The English band EBONY TOWER was formed back in 1996 as the creative vehicle of guitarist and songwriter Wilson McQueen. 2009 sees his band-project releasing their debut effort, "Dead Planet New Stars" (a four-track EP, with a full-length album planned for the fall season). The band describes their musical endeavors as ‘new prog’, blending classic rock with what they define as gothic progressive. I'm not familiar with the latter term, but can most certainly subscribe to the former as an apt description of the musical foundation for this EP. Violins are added as embellishments in the back of the mix, and combined with the slightly raspy and very distinct vocals of Rebecca Everitt (a singer who immediately makes me think Nashville), this makes for a pretty compelling overall sound. Country-tinged vocals and violins mixed with classic hard rock aren't a blend commonly found, and when it is as well done and well made as it in this case it does make for a pretty intriguing experience, even if the last track on the EP strays from the path and enters musical territories a tad too similar to ZZ Top. Musically this recording is perhaps better suited to the adventurous hard rock fan than followers of progressive rock as such, but I do think that those who find mainstream-oriented art rock to be enjoyable might just want to check this one out.